Review: Opal by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Opal by Jennifer L. Armentrout
Series: Lux #3
Release Date: December 11th, 2012
Publisher: Entangled Teen
Buy: Amazon | Book Depository

Goodreads summary

No one is like Daemon Black.

When he set out to prove his feelings for me, he wasn’t fooling around. Doubting him isn’t something I’ll do again, and now that we’ve made it through the rough patches, well... There’s a lot of spontaneous combustion going on.

But even he can’t protect his family from the danger of trying to free those they love.

After everything, I’m no longer the same Katy. I’m different... And I’m not sure what that will mean in the end. When each step we take in discovering the truth puts us in the path of the secret organization responsible for torturing and testing hybrids, the more I realize there is no end to what I’m capable of. The death of someone close still lingers, help comes from the most unlikely source, and friends will become the deadliest of enemies, but we won’t turn back. Even if the outcome will shatter our worlds forever.

Together we’re stronger... and they know it.

This was the book where things started going downhill for me. I loved Obsidian and Onyx but Opal just didn't work. I was confused after finishing it. There had been a time where Opal would have made me swoon and giggle but things had changed and I had matured as a reader and Opal just didn't do it for me.  It was no longer a book I could have I loved but something that was simply a guilty pleasure, brain candy, something to read on a rainy day. 

There were many things that didn't work for me. Aside from the cliff hanger ending, one of the major things that annoyed me would be the situation with Blake. Blake, who isn't meant to be so likable, is actually one of my favorite characters. I can understand him and the decisions he makes. He is not as bad as a guy as Katy makes him out to be. She doesn't even try to step in his shoes and think about what she would have done in the same situation. We all know she would have done the same thing no matter what she tells herself so I cannot comprehend her hate towards him. I have to admit, I am glad that she didn't have any conflicting feelings and no love triangles popped up but so much hate isn't a good thing. Katy really needed to chill a little. 

Speaking of Katy, dear god she could be a pain in the ass. Her jealousy. What is up with that? Shouldn't she know better by now? Really? On that note she made some stupid decisions. Somehow in each of these books she ends up being the damsel in distress. You can coat the situations up with her sassy attitude and strong will but she is never doing the rescuing, even when she thinks she is. Why cannot she for once make choices that won't land her in situations that may possibly get her killed?

Daemon of course feeds the 'Damsel in Distress' idea with his over protectiveness. He needs to stop acting like a mother hen and give the poor girl some space. I'd also be happier if his hotness wasn't rubbed into my face all the time. 

The romance between the two loses the fun banter of the previous books and instead we find ourselves drowning in cheese. Or at least I did. I do not enjoy cheese and this book was full of it. Gone were the fun, sarcastic conversations of the previous two books and instead there was jealousy and cheesiness.

The plot however was well paced and it was a quick read like all it's predecessors but at this point I find myself wondering if all the other books were like this. Were Onyx and Obsidian not as good as I thought they were? Or was this book actually not that good?  

The ending did NOT shock me even if I hadn't seen that coming. The ending was not something I enjoyed and it wasn't even because of the cliff hanger but the situation the characters were put in. We all know that there will be an HEA in the end… unless there isn't one. Now THAT would be interesting. Or perhaps it wouldn't. I like my brain candy too so no I still want an HEA for these characters.

Even with all my anger, I cannot help but feel disappointed that one of my most awaited reads was just not as good as I hoped it would be.   I hope that Origin will be better even if I am guessing my feelings towards this book were more of a case of 'it's me not you'. Perhaps the dual POV will bring an interesting enough twist in Origin that I'll like it better.